Top Republicans are defending US President Donald Trump's baseless claims of voter fraud and a rigged election even as some rank-and-file congressional Republicans have spoken out against the President's latest remarks. Speaking from the White House on Thursday, the President once again claimed that a count of legally cast ballots would show him winning the presidential race and said at one point, "This is a case where they're trying to steal an election. They're trying to rig an election." Some prominent Republicans, including members of House and Senate leadership, are backing the president in the aftermath of the address. Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of the US president and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, defended Trump on Thursday evening and echoed his baseless claims of voter fraud. "I'm here tonight to stand with President Trump," the South Carolina Republican, who was reelected on Tuesday, told Fox News. House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of California echoed the president's assertions of fraud and warned Americans to be on guard. "Every American should stand up. Whatever they see ... tell us if they see something that's incorrect out there," McCarthy said. He later added, "Do not be silent about this. We cannot allow this to happen before our very eyes." There has been no credible evidence of widespread voter fraud in this year's contest. Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, a member of Senate GOP leadership, said in a statement, "As vote totals continue to update, Americans deserve the confidence in a fair and transparent election. The president is right to ensure all legally-cast votes be observed and counted." Other Republican leaders have so far been silent in the wake of Trump's White House address. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office declined to comment on Trump's remarks. Senate Majority Whip John Thune of South Dakota, as well as Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Deb Fischer of Nebraska, Joni Ernst of Iowa and Todd Young of Indiana — all members of Senate GOP leadership — did not respond to requests for comment. House GOP conference chair Liz Cheney has also not responded to requests for comment. House Minority Whip Steve Scalise responded to a request for comment with a statement from spokeswoman Lauren Fine, saying, "Whip Scalise urges every state to fairly and equally enforce their election laws as written, and only count those ballots that were cast legally. Americans deserve full transparency to have confidence that their votes are being counted accurately." A number of rank-and-file House and Senate Republicans have pushed back on Trump's claims, though most without mentioning the president by name. GOP Rep. Will Hurd of Texas, who is retiring at the end of his current term, suggested that the comments are "dangerous." "A sitting president undermining our political process & questioning the legality of the voices of countless Americans without evidence is not only dangerous & wrong, it undermines the very foundation this nation was built upon," Hurd tweeted. Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois tweeted, "This is getting insane," and said, "if you have legit concerns about fraud present EVIDENCE and take it to court." Several other Republican lawmakers echoed the assertion that evidence should be presented if it exists. Michigan Republican Rep. Paul Mitchell, who is also retiring at the end of this term, tweeted, "If anyone has proof of wrongdoing, it should be presented and resolved. Anything less harms the integrity of our elections and is dangerous for our democracy." "If a candidate believes a state is violating election laws they have a right to challenge it in court & produce evidence in support of their claims," Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida tweeted. "If there are irregularities alleged, they will be investigated and ultimately resolved in the courts. Have faith in democracy, in our Constitution, and in the American people," Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah tweeted. But only a handful of congressional Republicans have spoken out in defense of Trump's cries of election fraud and calls to stop the counting in his race for reelection, which has drawn the wrath of the President's sons, who tweeted their frustration and anger about that lack of vocal support from elected Republicans. "Where is the GOP?! Our voters will never forget...," Eric Trump tweeted. "The total lack of action from virtually all the '2024 GOP hopefuls' is pretty amazing," complained Donald Trump Jr. — Courtesy CNN
